R.J. Simpson

Member Hay River North

Premier
Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs
Minister of Justice
Government House Leader

R.J. Simpson was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, representing the constituency of Hay River North. On December 7th, 2023, Mr. Simpson was elected Premier of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Simpson was formerly acclaimed to the 19th Legislative Assembly and first elected into the 18th Assembly in 2015.

Mr. Simpson was Deputy Speaker of the 18th Assembly, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, and the Chair of the Special Committee on Transition Matters. Mr. Simpson was also a member of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning and the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment.

Mr. Simpson is a lifelong resident of Hay River After graduating from Diamond Jenness Secondary School in 1998 Mr. Simpson went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from MacEwan University and a law degree from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law.

Mr. Simpson has previously worked with the Government of Canada, Northern Transportation Company Ltd, Métis Nation Local 51, and Maskwa Engineering.

While at law school, Mr. Simpson was the President of the Aboriginal Law Students’ Association. He has also served on the board of the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre in Hay River and volunteered with the Canada-Ghana Education Project.

Hay River North Electoral District

Committees

Hay River North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
867-767-9141
Extension
11120
Constituency Office

62, promenade Woodland, bureau 104
Hay River Nord NT X0E 1G1
Canada

Phone
867-874-6301
Minister
Email
Email
Premier of the Northwest Territories, Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Minister of Justice, Government House Leader

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. There is a motion to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I will rise and report progress.

Question 96-18(3): Gangs in Correctional Centres in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am interested in this topic because I think we are at a point where we can stop this from getting worse like we have seen elsewhere. I would ask the Minister: would he be able to share the department's policy with me so I can have a look at what they are doing to deal with this gang issue? Thank you.

Question 96-18(3): Gangs in Correctional Centres in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

I read the news. I see a lot of these people who are arrested from the South. They are on probation. They have other charges. If they are importing pounds of cocaine and firearms, they are looking at significant time.

What they do is they try and do as much time as they can at North Slave because it's easier time than doing it at Bowden or something. What has the department done to look into sending them back? I know he says we can't send them out of the jurisdiction, but have they tried? Have they tried anything?

Question 96-18(3): Gangs in Correctional Centres in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if you pay attention to the news, it seems like major drug busts have become common place in the NWT. Despite the hard work of the RCMP, the market here is so robust that there appears to be no shortage of money to be made. In addition to the social problems that the drug trade brings, it also brings a lot of Southerners, many of whom have ties to gangs and organized crime. What happens to these people? When they are arrested, they are put into the North Slave Correctional Complex in remand along with the general population. What I am concerned about is...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 1-18(3), North Slave Correctional Complex Inmate Concerns; Minister's Statement 19-18(3), Aurora College Foundational Review Process; and Tabled Document 63-18(3), Main Estimates 2018-2019. I would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Question 96-18(3): Gangs in Correctional Centres in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 9)

I guess when they are identified as having gang affiliation in remand, are they separated from the general population, or are they left with people who are in there, maybe just because they have addiction issues?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 8)

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Next, Mr. Vanthuyne.

Committee Motion 26-18(3): Tabled Document 63-18(3): Main Estimates 2018-2019 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 8)

Thank you, Premier McLeod. We have finished general comments. We can now move into the detail contained in the tabled document. Mr. Beaulieu.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 8)

Thank you, Minister Moses. I will now open the floor to general comments on the main estimates for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Any Member wishing will have 10 minutes to make opening comments, and after every Member wishing to speak has made those comments, the Minister will be given 10 minutes to respond. I know the Minister doesn't have a clock at the witness table, so I will indicate when he has one minute left, if we get to that. So, do we have any opening comments from committee? Ms. Green.